NHL: Seattle Kraken at Minnesota Wild - Source: Imagn — 5 Seattle Kraken players and personnel detrimental to roster retool after subpar campaign feat. Phillip Grubauer - Source: Imagn

5 Seattle Kraken players and personnel detrimental to roster retool after subpar campaign feat. Phillip Grubauer

Modified Jun 17, 2025 04:15 GMT

The Seattle Kraken ended the 2024-25 season on the outside looking in of the playoff conversation in the Western Conference.

The Kraken hoped to make it back to the postseason but failed to gain traction in the Pacific Division. The lackluster season cost Dan Bylsma his job after one season. The team is now on its third coach in five seasons as it looks to find answers.

Amid the uncertainty, here’s a look at the five Seattle Kraken team members detrimental to the club’s retool this offseason.

5 Seattle Kraken players and personnel detrimental to roster retool

#5 Lane Lambert

The Kranken's new coach will need to prove he's the right man for the job - Source: Imagn

The Seattle Kraken gave Lane Lambert another kick at the NHL head coaching can this offseason. But Lambert will face plenty of pressure as the organization is looking to get back into the playoff hunt.

Considering that Bylsma got one season at the helm, there’s reason to believe that Lambert won’t have too much leeway to prove he’s the right person for the job. He’ll be expected to get results straight out of the gate.

The issue is that Lambert’s last foray into head coaching didn’t go very well with the New York Islanders. That’s why Lambert must show that he’s grown as a coach since then.

#4 Ron Francis

Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis has built the franchise from the ground up. But some of his decisions have not panned out. Aside from questionable coaching choices, some signings and draft selections have not gone according to plan.

Francis seems safe in his job for the foreseeable future. Questions may arise if Francis can’t make the right moves to get the team back into the playoff hunt.

#3 Shane Wright

Shane Wright's next contract could be a major question mark for the Kraken - Source: Imagn

Shane Wright was the Seattle Kraken’s first-round pick, fourth overall, in 2022. He was projected to go number one but slid down on draft day. The Kraken scooped him up, hoping the other teams had made a major mistake.

Wright has not proven the other three teams that passed on him wrong thus far. This past season was Wright’s first full year, notching 19 goals and 43 points in 78 games.

The issue is that he’s entering the second year of his entry-level deal. If Wright can’t live up to the hype surrounding his first-round billing, the Kraken could face a tough challenge in determining what his next contract could look like.

The Kraken’s decisions this summer will likely take into consideration that Wright will need a new contract sooner rather than later.

#2 Brandon Montour

The Seattle Kraken signed Brandon Montour to a huge seven-year, $50 million deal as he came off a Stanley Cup run with the Florida Panthers in 2023-24.

Montour had a solid first season in Seattle as he notched 18 goals and 41 points in 81 games. But those numbers weren’t indicative of a number-one defenseman earning $7 million per season.

If Montour can’t turn into the true number-one defenseman the Kraken hope he is, the team could be stuck with an anchor for the next half-decade.

#1 Phillip Grabauer

The Kraken have Grubauer on the books for two more years - Source: Imagn

Phillip Grabauer was a major signing in the 2021 offseason after he had a brilliant season with the Colorado Avalanche in 2020-21.

Grubauer has been unable to live up to his stellar 2020-21 season, seeing his GAA balloon from 1.95 to 3.16. Grubauer rebounded somewhat with back-to-back seasons posting a 2.85 GAA. But he regressed this past season to a 3.49 GAA.

The lackluster season led to Joey Daccord unseating Grubauer as the starting netminder. The Kraken even went as far as giving Daccord a five-year extension worth $25 million.

The team is stuck with Grubauer’s $5.9 million cap hit for two more seasons.

About the author

Nestor is an NHL and MLB writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience. Growing up in Toronto, he became an avid Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, but also admires the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Dodgers for their dominance in the 80s. Holding an Economics and Education major, Nestor’s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.

Nestor credits the Leafs’ playoff runs in the early '90s as having a lasting impact on him. His favorite players are Doug Gilmour and Mike Bossy, as he feels they were tough, talented leaders, while Pat Burns is his favorite coach of all time for always preaching a fast-paced game.

Growing up in Canada, it was natural for Nestor to become interested in ice hockey and he played Minor Hockey as a teenager, which has given him a unique perspective on the sport. Nestor has mastered the art of how to best present facts and he also has a knack for knowing which sources can be trusted, and which can't for stories.

When he is not writing about Canada’s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.

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